< Episode 10: Sprouting... Carcinogenesis? (3) >
After the 'Golden Pen Bidding Explanation Session(?)" ended, merchants left the Ministry of Taxation one by one. Before crossing the main gate of the ministry, an elderly merchant spoke to a ministry official.
"Excuse me, sir."
"What is it?"
"How old is His Highness the Crown Prince this year?"
"He is eight years old."
"Oh my~"
When the merchant could not hide his surprise, the young ministry official spoke with a voice full of pride.
"He is truly a remarkable person. His Majesty the current King is no ordinary figure himself, but for His Highness the Crown Prince to be so brilliant at such a young age is indeed great fortune for our Joseon."
"Indeed, that is so."
After bowing to the official and stepping onto the main road, the merchant suddenly felt anger boiling from within.
"How is someone else's child so dignified at eight years old! And my grandson!"
At the same time, the Eastern Palace.
Having returned to his quarters, Hyang was facing a man. It was the same man who had been driven out by the officials earlier.
"Good work. Eunuch Jo."
"It was nothing, Your Highness. But was it really necessary to do it this way?"
"Given my young age, there was no other choice."
Thinking of Hyang's age, Eunuch Jo nodded and rose from his seat to bow.
"This humble servant will return and change clothes."
"Thank you for your service."
* * *
As the production of the golden pens created by Hyang was privatized, golden pens spread throughout the country. The golden pens became an unprecedented hit, and unprecedented scenes began to unfold.
At a noble family's residence in Naju, Jeolla Province.
On the main floor of a large tile-roofed house that appeared to have at least forty rooms, an elderly yangban was waiting for someone.
A short while later, a peddler carrying a large wooden chest on a frame on his back entered the courtyard. After setting the frame aside, the peddler bowed deeply in the courtyard.
"My lord, did you call for me?"
"Yes, I called for you. Did you bring the golden pen?"
"I have brought it this time."
"Oh, is that so!"
When the yangban brightened with joy, the peddler laid a wrapping cloth on the ground and carefully took out a splendid mother-of-pearl box from the wooden chest on his frame and placed it on the cloth.
After placing the mother-of-pearl box, the peddler bowed deeply to the box and then carefully carried it up to the main floor where the yangban was seated. When the peddler placed the mother-of-pearl box on the desk, the yangban exclaimed in admiration.
"Oh my! This is it!"
When the moved yangban reached out his hand, the peddler quickly stopped his action.
"My lord! You must bow first."
"Ah!"
At the peddler's reminder, the yangban quickly straightened his attire, placed the box before him, and bowed formally.
"His Majesty's grace is profound to bestow such a precious treasure. I am endlessly grateful."
After expressing thanks to the King, the yangban carefully opened the box.
Inside the box lined with soft silk were a lacquered, gleaming pen holder and ten golden pen nibs.
On the silk lining the ceiling of the box and on the pen nibs, plum blossom patterns were clearly imprinted.
"Please insert the golden pen into that pen holder..."
Listening to the peddler's explanation, the yangban connected the pen holder and nib, dipped it in already-ground ink, and wrote characters on paper.
Writing a passage from his favorite classic text in one flowing stroke, the yangban exclaimed in admiration.
"Truly a noble treasure!"
* * *
As the golden pen became a huge hit, the smile never left the face of the Minister of Taxation.
"The budget, the budget is growing!"
It wasn't only the Minister of Taxation whose smile never faded. The officials belonging to the Ministry of Taxation also wore perpetual smiles.
Since the founding of Joseon, no—since the late Goryeo dynasty, the predecessor state—the national budget had never been sufficient.
Upon founding the nation, Joseon reduced the stipends for the royal family to one-sixth and for bureaucrats to one-quarter, yet the budget still fell short.
In such circumstances, the profit coming from golden pen sales was most welcome.
Realistically, it was a meager amount like "peeing on frozen feet," but it was nonetheless welcome as it slightly expanded the court's flexibility in running state affairs.
Moreover, one positive effect was that the King, Sejong, and his subjects began to take interest in the positive effects of commerce.
However, negative movements began brewing beneath the surface.
"How did the court come to become merchants..."
"Exactly. His Majesty and the court ministers are showing too much favor to commerce, something that lowly people do."
"Among the four classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants are at the very bottom. Though they are commoners by birth, they are no different from lowly people! If this continues, we will simply repeat the evil practices of the former dynasty!"
Orthodox Neo-Confucian scholars, dissatisfied with Sejong and the ministers taking interest in state funds coming through golden pen sales, began harbering grievances. And these complainers turned their attacking swords toward Hyang, the Crown Prince.
"This whole affair began with His Highness the Crown Prince from the start."
"At such a young age, he has already fallen onto a crooked path... This is the fault of those responsible for His Highness's education!"
"His Majesty is also at fault. No matter how brilliant His Highness the Crown Prince may be, he is still a young child, yet His Majesty allows him to arbitrarily decide important matters of the court. This must be corrected!"
"We must pay more attention to His Highness's education! He should spend his time reading even one more character of the sages' words and engraving them in his heart, cultivating reverence for China to make this Joseon into a Little China. Instead, he concerns himself with miscellaneous arts. This cannot be!"
"We must write a memorial immediately!"
"Indeed!"
Just as these complainers were about to rise up, an unexpected event held them back.
King Taejong had passed away.
On the 10th day of the 5th month of the 4th year of Sejong's reign (1422), Taejong died at the age of 56.
During the funeral proceedings for Taejong, court sessions were suspended for ten days, and markets for five days.
Though official business continued, because it was the mourning period for Taejong, disruptive memorials could not be submitted.
"Let us wait for the next opportunity."
"We must do so."
Those seeking to submit memorials had to bide their time.
* * *
Unaware of what was happening beneath the surface, Hyang immersed himself in reading during Taejong's funeral period.
"Hmm... Is this how this is translated?"
With several books open simultaneously, Hyang was carefully comparing them.
The books Hyang was examining were texts that had come from Europe to China and Chinese translations of those works.
Just before the Winter Solstice Envoy departed for China, Hyang had summoned the chief envoy.
"Your Highness, did you call for me?"
"Yes. I apologize for calling you when you must be busy preparing for the mission."
"Not at all, Your Highness."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Hyang cut straight to the main topic.
"I have a favor to ask of you, Chief Envoy."
"What favor might that be?"
"Indeed. When you go to Beijing this time, I would like you to procure some books for me."
"Books... what kind of classics should I bring back for you?"
"Not classics, but miscellaneous texts. Texts related to medicine and... ah! Do you know of the Western barbarians?"
"Western barbarians... are you referring to the Semu people?"
"Precisely. If there are any translations or original texts of their laws or techniques, please procure them all for me."
"Why would you desire books from barbarians..."
When the chief envoy made a sour expression, Hyang explained his reasoning.
"It is said that among three people walking together, there must be one who can be my teacher. There is also the saying that stones from another mountain can polish jade. If something helps me improve myself and govern the nation, why would I not learn from it even if it comes from barbarians?"
"..."
At Hyang's words, the chief envoy fell silent.
If the person before him were an ordinary prince, he would have advised, 'Spend that time reading classics first.' But the Crown Prince seated before him was a genius even more formidable than his father, as all the ministers acknowledged.
He had finished the Four Books and Three Classics before turning six, and by seven, he had completely read through the Thirteen Classics (Analects, Mencius, Book of Songs, Book of Documents, Book of Changes, Rites, Erya, Classic of Filial Piety, and the Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals).
Even at that tender age, he slept less than three sijeon (six hours) a day and fervently studied the classics, and by the time of his investiture as Crown Prince, he could even debate policies with the guest scholars.
Thanks to this, some young officials who spoke plainly said the following:
- If the Crown Prince grows older and learns of affairs outside the palace, the court will be overturned.
Thanks to this, the chief envoy had no choice but to lower his head and answer.
"I will faithfully carry out His Highness the Crown Prince's command."
"I entrust this to you."
After that, whenever envoys went to Beijing, Hyang made similar requests. Naturally, from the second time onward, he even prepared lists to hand over.
"The books on this list are already in my possession, so please procure other books."
"...Understood, Your Highness."
Thanks to this, the envoys had to labor to find books. Since the time of the Yuan Empire, Europeans and Arabs had entered China, but their books were not common.
* * *
"With this, the reference problem is roughly solved."
Looking at the books filling three-quarters of the bookshelf he had installed in one corner of his room, Hyang smiled brightly.
As he examined Joseon's industrial technology during the Sejong era, Hyang's ideas for practical application steadily increased.
"The problem is that if I claim I thought of all this myself, many will view me through tinted glasses from the start. Especially in medicine. At times like these, it's better to present references."
Having reached this conclusion, Hyang had procured not only Chinese texts through envoys going to Beijing but also European texts that had entered China.
Through the envoys, Hyang had obtained European books from the late medieval and early Renaissance periods, books from the Middle East, and their Chinese translations, and he began reading them carefully.
"I need to roughly know what content is in which book. That way, when I spin stories later, I can do so plausibly. The saying 'you need to know the background to pull it off' exists for a reason."
Hyang had these thoughts because of the hardship he experienced when presenting the golden pen.
"This is a good item, but how did the Crown Prince come up with such an idea?"
At Sejong's question, Hyang answered immediately.
"While dipping my brush in ink to write, I observed something peculiar."
"Something peculiar?"
"I saw the ink rising between the hairs of the brush. Generally, water flows downward, so going against this law—how could it not be wondrous? This..."
Hyang fabricated a plausible story about why he came to create the golden pen.
Upon hearing the explanation, Sejong slapped his knee in admiration.
"Many have used brushes until now, yet no one has thought like the Crown Prince! If this is not an example of 'investigating things to extend knowledge,' then what is!"
Thus, the golden pen matter passed without incident, but Hyang well knew that such luck would not continue indefinitely.
"Creating and presenting the golden pen was groundwork I laid to show that I, as Crown Prince, possess such talents. I can't just suddenly present something out of nowhere one day. But 'it just happened to occur to me' will only work the first few times. To be more certain, I need references."
* * *
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."
While Sejong was attending to state affairs, reviewing memorials and reports spread before him in the large grass hut prepared during Taejong's funeral proceedings, he set down the memorial he was reading and responded.
"Let him enter."
Entering the grass hut, Hyang bowed to Sejong.
"Father. Your countenance is unwell. Have you taken your evening meal?"
"The ministers made a fuss, so I ate."
'This old man!'
At Sejong's answer, Hyang gasped internally.
'A meat maniac who can't live without meat for even one meal! Even if you can't eat meat during the mourning period, you should still eat proper meals!'
Cursing internally, Hyang spoke earnestly.
"Father is the pillar of this nation. Though we are in the mourning period, you must surely eat properly."
"I will do so. But what brings you here?"
"I have obtained miscellaneous books of the Western barbarians through the envoys."
"Indeed. I heard about it. Was there anything helpful?"
"I would like Father to make the judgment."
Looking at his son who was acting playful like a child seeking approval, Sejong, who had been wearing a comfortable smile, straightened his posture and assumed a solemn expression.
"Speak."
"Yes. I petition Father to use the numbers of the Western barbarians."
"The numbers of the Western barbarians?"
"Precisely. To be exact, they could be called Indian numerals. To explain in detail, these numbers first originated in India..."
< Episode 10: Sprouting... Carcinogenesis? (3) > End
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